The present invention relates to a prefabricated panel and especially to a prefabricated panel having a reinforcing stud member formed therein and to a method of making a reinforcing stud member and prefabricated panel.
Building panels of various kinds have been constructed over the years with a variety of external facings and with different insulating materials formed within each panel. Prefabricated panels are frequently made up in a factory and shipped to a site for forming interior and exterior walls of a building. The panels are also made directly at the building site. Such prior panels typically have a framework commonly of wood or metal studs preformed with insulation in the panel and sometimes having electrical wirings formed therein. Prefabricated panels frequently have means for attaching the panels along abutting edges and for attaching roof trusses or rafters to one edge of the panels and for attaching the panels to a flooring or the footers in the construction of a building. Panels typically have been constructed to withstand various types of forces especially compression forces from the weight of the roof and compression loads that are placed on a roof. Such panels have also been designed to provide insulation and a weather-tight sealing between the panels and to be connected to adjacent panels and to footers. The panels have, however, typically been connected to roof truss or rafters using conventional brackets which are nailed to the wooden rafters or truss and to wooden headers. The brackets are designed to withstand a certain wind force. The top of a building acts like an airfoil to the air currents passing through and creates a lifting force on the roof. Brackets have been designed to hold the roof to the wall headers and to withstand normal lifting forces encountered by strong winds. However, when a hurricane or other very large wind forces are encountered, buildings have frequently been destroyed by the roof being pulled away by the lifting force of the high velocity wind currents passing over the roof. Even when the walls are well attached to the roof, the buildings have been destroyed by lifting both the roof panels and the walls, breaking the walls loose from concrete slabs or poured footers.
The present invention is directed towards a wall panel which not only provides support for compression forces but also anchors the building walls and roof together in such a manner as to provide a greatly increased strength in tension against the lifting forces placed on roofs to prevent the roof of the building from being pulled away from the foundation of the building.
Prior art U.S. patents for prefabricated building panels, walls, and wall studs can be seen in the Reitter U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,552, for a building panel and process for making the same using a framework of metal channels having pressed fiberglass fibers attached to one surface and in the Smolik U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,096, for a wall assembly using vertical metal wall studs assembled to horizontal channel shaped members or beams to form a framework for mounting drywall construction. In the Villalobos U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,371, the erection of a prefabricated house uses a building panel having a rectangular frame and includes a plurality of reinforcing members secured within the frame by tabs at the ends of the members and extending horizontally within the frame. In the Plunkett U.S. Pat. No. 1,793,634, a reinforced stucco and plaster backing sheet is provided for a wall structure. In the A. H. Moore and E. F. Morton U.S. Pat. No. 1,200,639, a sheet metal construction is illustrated for a partition in a building. In the Taylor U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,098, a metallic structural member for supporting walls and floors of a building is provided which uses a channel-shaped metallic stud mounted in steel runner plates. The Schirm U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,497, shows a building with a frame or skeletal structure using interconnecting metal studs and frame members. Special designed metal stud members can be seen in the Nelsson U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,765, for a demountable partition assembly in which metal studs are formed for attaching and holding abutting edges of wall panel. In the Uydess U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,001, a wall stud for securing plasterboard to masonry, bricks, blocks and the like is shown while in the Murphy U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,678, a structural beam having an open faced end flange that can be strap fitted to the end of a similar stud is shown. In the Riggs U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,129, an electro stud has a hollow metal stud with a thin wall conduit pipe for the electrical wiring attached therein. The Driver U.S. Pat. No. 2,032,922, shows a post for steel partitions.
In contrast to the prior art, the present invention has hollow steel studs which have molded end plates for attaching a pair of elongated metal stud members together such that fasteners can be easily attached into the molded composite members for attaching the studs within a wall panel and are used to support reinforcing metal bars extending through the stud which can be attached from the foundation through to the headers and to the rafters or roof trusses using steel brackets to provide wall panels which can withstand both compression and tension forces applied to the building.